Vanilla shortage may mean pricey cones

A global vanilla shortage has lead to a 20 percent rise in wholesale prices, according to the Telegraph.

Producers in Madagascar, Mexico, India and Indonesia have had poor harvests this year. For consumers, the price of ice cream may rise up to 10 percent in an effort to pass off the higher prices.

The rise will hit thousands of businesses which use vanilla for everything from soft drinks and ice cream to confectionary, perfume and even medicines.
…
(Nick Peksa, business development director at market analysts Mintec) said that in the case of ice cream, even the modest rises seen so far could be too much for many makers to absorb, meaning high prices for shoppers.

He said: “It is the most expensive ingredient in ice cream production per kilogram, so it is highly likely that some producers will not be able to absorb the extra cost.